12 English Idioms about Relationships

Native speakers of English use idioms a lot in everyday conversation. Idioms not only add variety and spice to your spoken English but also make conversation more interesting. What are idioms? Idioms are phrases that do not mean exactly what the words say. I would recommend you learn and understand the meanings of English idioms before you are confident enough to use them. In today’s lesson we are going to learn 8 English idioms about relationships.

12 English Idioms about Relationships

1. GET OFF ON THE WRONG FOOT

Meaning: when you meet someone for the first time you do or say something to upset themex.

Example: Kathleen brought Richard home to meet her parents. He tripped on the carpet and broke their favourite vase. The relationship got off on the wrong foot.

2. GET ON SOMEONE’S NERVES

Meaning: to irritate someone because you say or do something annoyingex.

Example: Trevor always drums his fingers on the table when you are talking to him. It really gets on my nerves.

3. TO GIVE SOMEONE THE COLD SHOULDER

Meaning: when you deliberately ignore someone because you are upset with themex.

Example: Judy was so annoyed with her boyfriend because he had not called her in 5 days. When she saw him in the office she gave him the cold shoulder and did not speak to him all day.

4. ON THE ROCKS

Meaning: when something is not going well

Example: John’s marriage was not going well. He constantly argued with his wife. He told his friend he thought their marriage was really on the rocks.

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5. GO BACK A LONG WAY

Meaning: when you know a close friend for a very long time

Example: Philip and Michael have been best friends since they were 7 years old. Their relationship goes back a long way.

6. YOUR OWN FLESH AND BLOOD

Meaning: your children or close relatives

Example: Michael was stuck with a problem. He had two applicants for the job, his son Paul and a stranger called Peter. In the end he chose his own flesh and blood and gave the job to Paul.

7. HIT IT OFF

Meaning: to get on well with someone you meet

Example: Anthony met Miriam at the party and they talked all night. They really hit it off first time.

8. GIVE SOMEONE A HARD TIME

Meaning: treat someone badly or unfairly, to make someone suffer

Example: Mum always used to give me a hard time for not doing homework properly.

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9. MEET SOMEBODY HALFWAY

Meaning: to reach an agreement with somebody by compromise

Example: We agreed to meet halfway on the price.

10. TREAT SOMEONE LIKE DIRT

Meaning: to treat someone very badly

Example: Why do bosses think that just because someone does a manual job, for low pay, that it’s somehow okay to treat them like dirt?

11. ON THE SAME WAVELENGTH

Meaning: when you’re on the same wavelength with someone it means you share the same values, you are interested in the same things

Example: There was some visual connection there, we were always on the same wavelength.

12. FIGHT LIKE CAT AND DOG

Meaning: if two people often have angry fights, we say can say that they fight like cat and dog

Example: My brothers fight like cat and dog all the time.

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